Cats (again), A Friend, and a Wonderful Book
I have been kind of delinquent lately with my blogging. I haven’t blogged since – gulp – January! There are actually Christmas decorations in a picture on my last post. The shame.
In fact . . . that last post was about our new kitty, Dottie, and now we have two kitties, Dottie and Misty.
This post isn’t really about them. It’s about a wonderful book that I want to review, And Then Like My Dreams, by Margaret Rose Stringer, or M-R, as she likes to be called.
Where the cats come in, is, well . . . I was hoping to post a picture of me holding the real book, not the “Save Image As” file that I inserted at the beginning. But the cats managed to knock the book first behind, and then under, a very heavy piece of furniture that we are unable to move or see under, and so. :( (Perhaps I should not have left that pile of “things I need” there. Ah, well, the cats did play a role!)
And Then Like My Dreams is a memoir, a love story, and more. It is the story of M-R and her beloved husband, Chic Stringer, who met, fell in love, married, and had an incredible journey on their life together for the next thirty or so years. M-R tells of how her life changed, became something different, after meeting Chic, who was an outstanding stills photographer when everything in the film business was actually shot on film. Reading about the careers they both had in the Australian film industry was fascinating to me, but the book also describes a rich life outside the lively film business.
I was immersed in the travels to Italy and France, the cuisine, the music, the friends, and the home they (literally) built together. I loved hearing about their lives in Australia. Interlaced with M-R’s wit and humor, the book celebrates the joy and fulfillment of loving someone as deeply as she and Chic loved each other, as well as her honest sharing of her struggles and heartbreak.
I continue to be moved by this story, saddened so by the loss that we know from the beginning is coming, and inspired by the depths of the love these two shared. M-R’s writing about her anguish and grief at Chic’s illness and death gives even more meaning to the story of the times they shared when he was alive.
This book reminds us how brightly love can shine, how quickly life can pass, and how cherished are those moment we share with those we love. It entertained me; it moved me; it affected me deeply. It inspired me. And for that, I am grateful.
The book is published by Fremantle Press and can be found on Amazon.
On a personal note, I am privileged to call M-R a friend. Even though I have never met her in person, I have become her friend, through her blog, my blog (alas – when I blog!), and discussion and comments on other blogs. Sadly, she is leaving blogging behind, but her archived posts will be up until her birthday, July 8th. You can find them here:
http://adjustingmybackground.com/
Last but not least . . . a bit early, M-R, but Happy Birthday!
P.S. I might have eaten the cupcake after I took the picture :)
